Last year, Nothing brought a budget option to its portfolio. That was the Nothing Phone 2a, which finally gave people the chance to get a Nothing device without spending more than they might be comfortable with. Months later, the OEM released the Nothing Phone 2a Plus, which was only slightly different from the smaller device. Odd choice.
Well, that oddity persists into 2025, as the manufacturer has just made the Nothing Phone 3a and Phone 3a Pro official. Each device adds a third camera, which is something that the previous generation didn’t have the benefit of. However, the cameras are quite literally the only thing that makes these phones different from each other. Let’s talk.
The Nothing Phone 3a Series Brings a Telephoto Camera to the Arena
If you’re a big Nothing fan and you don’t necessarily need the flagship specs that are likely to come with the Nothing Phone 3 later this year, then the Phone 3a devices should be right up your alley. Both phones are better than their analogs from last year, with the addition of a telephoto camera being a notable improvement.
However, the two phones are confusingly similar to one another. It makes me wonder why Nothing chose to have two models in the first place. Don’t worry. You’ll see what I mean soon enough.
The Design
If there’s one place where you have to give Nothing its props, it’s the design department. Polarizing as they may sometimes be, the company’s designs are unique. The Phone 3a isn’t too different from last year, though the camera module gets a little wider to accommodate an additional lens. The ribbon design also changes a little. The phone is a little more rectangular—the corners lose some of their roundness.
On the other hand, there’s the Nothing Phone 3a Pro. I’m not a fan of its design, but I’m sure some might be. The asymmetrical arrangement of the camera lenses, taking up only about 30% of the circular module they are placed in, is, quite frankly, ugly. Besides the cameras, the rest is essentially identical to the Phone 3a.
You get IP64 certification on both phones and of course, it wouldn’t be a Nothing phone without the Glyph lighting system on the back. You still won’t find that anywhere else in the industry.
The Screen
Here’s where the similarities begin. Both phones have a 6.77-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. The touch sampling rate is now 480Hz, double what the previous generation had to offer. In high-brightness mode, the phone goes as high as 1,300 nits, but with the right content, the phone can hit a peak brightness of 3,000 nits. For the series tier, the display unit does a good job.
The Hardware
Nothing moves away from MediaTek and decides to pledge its allegiance with Qualcomm for the Phone 3a series. These devices both use the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3, which is a good midrange SoC, and it offers 33% better performance compared to the Dimensity chip in the Phone 2a. It is also nearly twice as good with processing AI tasks, which is an important consideration for OEMs in 2025.
Both devices are available in the same storage configurations: 8/128GB, 8/256GB, and 12/256GB. You get NFC, Bluetooth 5.4, and Wi-Fi 6 compatibility.
The Battery and Charging
The smartphone world is going crazy about silicon-carbon batteries thanks to their higher capacities, but that fever hasn’t gotten to Nothing yet. Both phones opt for a 5,000mAh cell, which is the same as last year. However, the charging does get a little step up to 50W, which will get you a full charge in 56 minutes.
The Cameras
Now, besides the design, the cameras mark the only place where the devices differ significantly, and it makes me wonder why there had to be two models in the first place.
First, both phones share the same 50MP Samsung sensor, though the Phone 3a Pro gets dual-pixel PDAF for 43% faster autofocus. The phones also share an 8MP ultrawide camera—another similarity.
The telephoto cameras are where things are different. Both are 50MP units, but the Phone 3a has a regular telephoto with 2x zoom, while the Phone 3a Pro has a Sony LYTIA-600 periscope telephoto for 3x zoom. You can also zoom up to 6x with in-sensor zoom and then get up to 60x with digital. Plus, that camera also benefits from macro capabilities.
The Phone 3a has a 32MP selfie camera, and the Phone 3a Pro pushes that up to 50MP, which brings the advantage of 4K video recording using the selfie cam.
The Software
Both phones will come with Nothing OS 3.1, based on Android 15, and you’ll get three years of major OS updates and six years of security updates.
You also get access to Essential Space, which is an “AI-powered hub for notes, ideas, and inspirations.” The Essential Key on the side of the device will make it easier to send content to Essential Space.
The Pricing and Availability
The only perk of the Nothing Phone 3a Pro is a better telephoto and selfie camera, so you must be wondering how much it costs. Well, both devices will only be available in the top 12/256GB configuration in the US, and for that, the Phone 3a will set you back $379, while the Phone 3a Pro will cost $80 more at $459.
The device will also be available in India, Europe, and the UK. Pre-orders for the Phone 3a start today, while the Phone 3a Pro’s pre-orders commence on March 11th. The Phone 3a is available in Black and White, with a Blue colorway available outside the US. The Phone 3a Pro comes in Black and Grey.
